But of course, we’re talking about the much-talked-about The Lobby of The Peninsula Manila, which sizzles with activity 24 hours a day. You can say there’s nonstop lobbying going on here.
Chances are, there’s a Pen for your thoughts. For instance, for some, it could mean (movie) star-gazing at The Lobby. Or simply soaking in the vibrant ambience at The Lobby, arguably the place to see and be seen.
"I’ve stored enough memories to last me more than a lifetime," says a beaming Monzie Uy, The Peninsula Manila’s director of customer service.
The Pen has been second home to Monzie since she joined the hotel when it opened in 1976 in time for the International Monetary Fund (IMF) meet held in Manila.
"President Ferdinand Marcos and First Lady Imelda Romualdez Marcos were here," Monzie digs into her trove of memories. "Imelda Marcos has a fantastic memory. One time, I saw her again at The Lobby, and she said, ‘You cut your hair, I almost didn’t recognize you.’"
Monzie’s 25 colorful years with The Pen – marked by hotel bombings in the early ’80s, a coup, a major earthquake, and two revolutions – could fill a book (make that an encyclopedia). But then again, Monzie’s pen continues to flow.
"I remember that our first celebrity guest was Gina Lollobrigida," says Monzie, who was rooms division manager then. "Oh yes, I shook hands with her. She was very pretty and very nice; she had no airs at all. She did not make any demands, she had no special diet requirements."
Since then, a lot more celebrities have crossed The Pen’s posh glass doors. "There was Stevie Wonder who was being whisked in and out of the hotel for his performance," Monzie leafs through her guest book of memories. "The beautiful Dewi Sukarno was here."
The Pen rolled out the red carpet and opened its doors to Microsoft founder Bill Gates who, says Monzie, was a simple, soft-spoken man who was not hard to please. It was easy to spot him even in a jostling crowd. Of course, the world’s richest man (then) was surrounded by heavy security. "He arrived late at night for a function and left the very next day," adds Monzie.
When Margaret Thatcher, then Britain’s Prime Minister, walked down the red carpet of The Lobby, all the guests stood up to acknowledge her towering presence.
The girls watched, nay ogled, as Bay Watch’s David Hasselhoff walked by at The Lobby.
Thalia, a.k.a. Marimar, slept at The Pen during her two visits in Manila. Her party occupied nearly a whole floor of the hotel. No, Marimar did not ask for Mexican food. She was a very light eater, as you probably could see from her wispy waistline.
But alas, the soap box queen made some of the hotel staff cry as she turned out to be very unapproachable. Que pasa, señorita?
Happily, Marimar’s Sergio – Eduardo Capetillo – who also a Pen guest was muy gracioso, so say The Pen people.
There was Jean Claude Van Damme in fighting form, just like in his popular movie Universal Soldier. He was seen swapping notes with Pen’s former GM Rolf Pfisterer.
There were the Stylistics and the 5th Dimension, who brought a lot of music into the lives of Manilans.
There was the sweet-shooting Kobe Bryant who made girls’ hearts bounce with joy.
The Pen’s guests are a varied mix. From newsmakers to newswriters. They come from all colors of the political spectrum.
"In the 1970s, we had popular columnist Ka Doroy Valencia, who was identified with the Marcos administration. His family was our newsstand concessionaire," Monzie recounts. "Once, after an anti-Marcos rally, he came here. Then we heard a pro-Cory group singing, ‘How much is that doggie in the window?’ We had to whisk him out of the hotel via the Nielsen’s exit. We see to the welfare of our guests, whatever their political color may be."
But no, Monzie denies that The Lobby was the scene of a scandal reported on radio recently. The report says that a solon was caught with his pants down, literally speaking, with the wife of a military man.
Guess The Lobby has attracted more than its fair share of publicity.
"When people say, ‘We’re going to The Lobby, you know it’s The Pen," says Monzie.
Recently promoted to director of customer service, Monzie points out, "We’re very proud of our personalized service. We treat our guests like family. That’s why they keep coming back. Like we have one guest who has stayed in Pen properties (there are nine all over the world) a total of 100 times. He’s one of hundreds of guests on our CIS (Central Information Service) list. So three days before the guest’s arrival, we check out the guest’s personal profile under the Peninsula Priorities file. Here, we find out the guest’s likes and dislikes. If he wants only mangoes in his fruit basket. If he wants only Coca-Cola in his room because he’s from Coca-Cola. If he wants a room near the lift or far from it. If he wants chopped garlic in his food. All those little details that add up to make his stay at The Pen unforgettable."
Little wonder why The Peninsula Manila recently landed in the Conde Nast Traveller’s Gold List "World’s Best Places to Stay" in its January 2001 issue. The Pen was the only hotel in Manila to make it to the prestigious list.
Surely, this and more were reasons enough for a celebration, albeit an austere one in keeping with the hard times, when The Pen marked its 25th anniversary this month. More than 60 pioneers received recognition. "Here at The Pen, employees are treated like royal guests," says Monzie. "Like when I go to Hong Kong for a vacation, they give me a suite at The Peninsula. Suddenly, I feel rich and famous."
Another pioneer, Dominador "Aji" Alejandro, now banquet operations supervisor, shares sweet memories of The Pen: "I’ve served five Presidents," he says. "Former President Cory Aquino liked grilled fish and she only drank Diet Coke. Former President Fidel Ramos was a simple eater – he liked roast chicken and was fond of fruits. His food taster (sometimes a big guy and sometimes a girl) would go into the kitchen to taste a piece of the chicken that would be served to him. Whenever we serve the President, protocol requires that we don’t go behind him – you have to go in front of him. As for former President Joseph Estrada, he was not choosy. Erap had a big appetite for steaks (medium rare, please) which he downed with shot after shot of the very expensive Johnny Walker Blue. He capped his meal with a crepe samurai dripping with chocolate sauce."
When she was First Lady, Ming Ramos would go down to the delicatessen, The Peninsula Exclusivites, for her daily bread – pan de sal.
Imelda Marcos used to go to The Pen’s Swiss outlet Chesa. Now, she goes to the Italian outlet Mi Piace.
President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo came to The Pen often before she became president. She’d go to the French outlet Old Manila that also serves Filipino favorites and the hotel’s famous smoked tanguingue (mackerel).
Other Pen regulars include Senator Manny Villar, Senator Loren Legarda, Armida Siguion-Reyna who just loves the buffet breakfast at the coffee shop, and Gretchen Barretto who used to come often with Tonyboy Cojuangco.
And our Pen friends assure us our Pen-pushing days are not over.